Deep within the courtyard, red willows billowed like smoke.

A handsome, cool-featured young man with a face like polished jade traced his fingers through the air, inscribing a series of profound runes onto a single willow leaf.

The process was flawless, completed in a single, fluid motion.

The power from his fingers flowed across the leaf’s surface, tracing its veins without the slightest excess energy spilling over or penetrating through to the other side, leaving the leaf perfectly intact. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

A flash of Spirit Light erupted, and the runes on the willow leaf flickered in unison, making the leaf seem strangely heavy, no longer an ordinary object.

The young man flicked the leaf. It spun twice in the air before transforming into several thick vines that wrapped tightly around a stone table in the courtyard.

"A Tier One Mid Grade Talisman, the Binding Talisman... Senior Brother Su, your Void Talisman technique is becoming more and more incredible. You must be close to advancing to a Tier Two Talisman Master."

Chen Wei was filled with admiration.

"I still haven’t grasped a few key insights. Without developing my Divine Sense, creating Tier Two Talismans is simply too difficult. I can only rely on intuition for now."

Ever since Su Li received the inheritance of a Tier Four Talisman Master from the stele at the Five Mountains Temple, his skill in the Talisman Dao had improved by leaps and bounds. He had even learned the Void Talisman technique from that inheritance.

It allowed him to create Talismans directly using whatever materials were on hand, without needing a Talisman Brush, Cinnabar, or special Talisman Paper.

For a Quasi-Second Tier Talisman Master like Su Li, the Void Talisman technique could only produce Tier One Mid Grade Talismans. However, mastering this skill drastically improved a Talisman Master’s adaptability in various situations.

Furthermore, every use of the Void Talisman technique was a summation of the Talisman Master’s understanding of their own Talisman Dao, which was immensely beneficial for exploring the next stage of their path.

Without this Talisman Making technique, Su Li would never have reached the threshold of a Tier Two Talisman Master so quickly.

"Senior Brother Longx went into seclusion last month to break through to Foundation Establishment. News came three days ago that he failed. Although he managed to survive, his Sea of Consciousness was severely damaged. It will take him at least five or six years to recover."

Su Li’s expression turned grave as he relayed the news he had just heard.

"Senior Brother Longx is only thirty-five or thirty-six, isn’t he? Why was he in such a hurry? If he’d waited a few more years to refine his Magical Power, wouldn’t his chances have been much higher?"

Chen Wei’s face paled. The Foundation Establishment Stage was a major trial, even for True Disciples like them.

This was especially true for her, as her innate talent wasn’t exceptional. Even with the favor of a Core Formation Ancestor and the aid of a Foundation Establishment Pill, her chances of success were still slim.

"Junior Sister Chen, do you know how many Cultivators there are in Black Mountain County right now, or what the mortal population is?"

Su Li didn’t answer her directly. Instead, he posed a seemingly unrelated question.

"I... I’ve never looked into it. I assume there are a lot?"

"Within the Black Mountain Range, not counting our Qingfeng Sect, the various Cultivation Families and Loose Cultivators combined number over eight thousand. Life for mortals in Black Mountain is difficult, so many descendants of Loose Cultivators have moved away, but the mortal population still numbers close to a million."

"Outside the Black Mountain Range, Spirit Veins are scarce, so there are probably only a thousand Cultivators at most. But without Demon Beast incursions and with favorable weather, the mortal population has boomed, already exceeding twenty million."

"That many?"

Chen Wei caught the gravity in Su Li’s tone and realized this was an important topic.

Su Li nodded, his voice a mixture of pride and resignation. "Our Qingfeng Sect isn’t like a Demon Path Sect such as the Ghost Spirit Sect. We maintain peace and order under our rule. We strictly forbid the Cultivation Clans from openly warring with one another and crack down hard on Tribulation Cultivators. As a result, the living conditions here are far better than in the neighboring counties. That’s why, despite the scarcity of Spirit Veins, Loose Cultivators flock to Black Mountain County every year, all seeking a safe and stable place to live."

"But the total amount of Cultivation Resources is finite. With more and more Cultivators, there isn’t enough to go around. According to statistics from the Law Enforcement Hall, the frequency of Tribulation Cultivator appearances has been rising every single year for the past two decades."

"The mortal population is constantly expanding, and the number of new Immortal Seedlings is rising in proportion, which should be a good thing. But the Sect no longer has the resources to support so many disciples. We’ve had to raise our recruitment standards while simultaneously reducing the number of True and Inner Sect disciples. A hundred years ago, the requirement to become a True Disciple was just reaching the Late-Stage of Qi Refining before the age of thirty. Now, it’s been lowered to twenty-five, shutting the door on many talented, late-blooming disciples."

"The frequent appearance of Tribulation Cultivators is an extremely dangerous signal. It means that life for the low-level Loose Cultivators has become incredibly difficult. Even without the fallout from the war between the Righteous and Demonic Dao, there are already far too many Cultivators in Black Mountain County!"

Su Li took a long breath, composing his agitated thoughts.

As the closed-door disciple of the Talisman Hall Master, his sources of information were far more detailed than those of an ordinary True Disciple.

"Even without the three thousand-plus Cultivators who just migrated from the other counties, the Sect would have had to issue a Pioneer Decree within the next twenty years and initiate a war of expansion!"

"This influx of outside Cultivators has only moved that timeline up by a decade."

Su Li turned to Chen Wei and said gravely, "Junior Sister Chen, I know you’re not skilled in Combat, so you must focus even more on your Cultivation. My master has already hinted to me that the war of expansion might be moved up. Thousands of Cultivators have flooded in, and their backgrounds are... complicated. If we don’t use this war to unite them into a single force, cull their numbers, and seize a few more Spirit Veins for everyone to use for Cultivation, the entire Black Mountain region will descend into chaos!"

"Now do you understand why Senior Brother Longx was so desperate? During the last war of expansion, five of the Sect’s Foundation Establishment Elders perished, along with countless disciples. Even though we True Disciples receive preferential treatment and won’t be assigned to the most dangerous fronts, are you willing to bet your life on luck?"

"My mind is made up. I’m putting the Talisman Dao aside for now to focus entirely on Cultivation. As soon as I reach Qi Refining Perfection, I will make an all-out attempt to break through to Foundation Establishment."

With the Talisman Hall Master’s support, Su Li lacked no Cultivation Resources and was already at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

He was only one final step away from the stage of Qi Refining Great Perfection.

"I understand. It’s just... my talent is far inferior to yours, Senior Brother. I’m afraid I won’t be able to accomplish much in just a few years. Wouldn’t it be better to learn a few new types of Magic?"

Before their trip to the Inheritance Stele at the Five Mountains Temple, Chen Wei had merely been an ordinary disciple with a chance of entering the Inner Sect.

Even now, she still had a ’find happiness in contentment’ mindset and didn’t feel she could compare to the other True Disciples.

"Foolish! What kind of Magic do you think will keep you alive against a Tier Two Demon Beast, let alone a Tier Three Demon King? What you need to do is raise your Cultivation as high as possible and show the Sect Leader that you have a real chance at Foundation Establishment. As long as the Sect Leader and the two Ancestors believe you can reach Foundation Establishment, they will ensure you get through the war of expansion safely, for the sake of the Acquired Thunder God Pearl!"

Su Li was so furious he could no longer maintain his cool-headed image, pointing a finger at her as he roared.

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother."

Realization dawned on Chen Wei. She nodded obediently again and again; she had always placed great faith in her senior brother.

"There’s one more thing. Before I came, I heard that two people from the Inner Sect have signed up for the True Inheritance Trial this year. One is Junior Brother Xiong Baishan, and the other is Junior Brother Bai Zichen. Senior Brother, do you remember Junior Brother Bai? At the Five Mountains Temple, he was in the same group as you studying the stele and also triggered a phenomenon from the Inheritance Stele."

"Ah, so it’s him."

That trip to the Five Mountains Temple had changed the fates of all three of them. Although Su Li had quickly fallen into a coma afterward, he still had a vivid memory of the boy who had also caused a phenomenon.

"I never expected that after just a few years, Junior Brother Bai would already have the Cultivation to challenge for a True Inheritance spot. However, while I don’t like that Xiong Baishan fellow, his Companion Bear Beast is a real nuisance. I’m afraid no one in the Inner Sect can match him. It’s a shame."